Washing machines



Nov. 13, 1956 Filed Nov. 8, 1954 K. JACKSON 2,770,122

WASHING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor Nov. 13, 1956 K. JACKSON 2,770,122

WASHING MACHINES Filed Nov. 8, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 9 Kin W577i JA c/rs a Attorney Nov. 13, 1956 Filed Nov. 8, 1954 K. JACKSON 2,770,122

WASHING MACHINES s Shets-Sheet 3 I nvenlor Ham/52W mic/rs an;

United States Patent WASHING MACHINES Kenneth Jackson, Oldham, England, assignor to H. Fisher (Oldham) Limited, Oldham, England Application November 8, 1954, Serial No. 467,545

Claims priority, application Great Britain November 23, 1953 6 Claims. (Cl. 68-133) This invention relates to the type of machine for washing clothes, dishes or other articles, more especially for washing clothes and other woven .or knitted articles, a

that comprises a container (hereinafter termed a wash tub) having at the bottom a pulsator mounted for rotation about a substantially vertical axis by an externally disposed electric motor.

The invention is directed to providing primarily an improved construction of pulsator by which better circulation of the washing medium is attained, and secondly an improved form of wash tub which prevents the articles being washed adhering to its walls and brings about movement of said articles within the wash tub adequate to ensure their repeated penetration by the agitated washing medium.

In accordance with the invention the pulsator is constructed as an imperforate circular member with substantially more than half ofits upper working surface raised above the plane of its rim and divided by a transverse ridge into two portions, preferably of unequal areas, so that the leading portion considered with respect to the direction of rotation of the pulsator increases progressively in height up to said ridge, while the trailing portion progressively decreases in height, the remaining or third portion of the working face being a flat bottomed depression or hollow below the plane of the rim, and all said portions merging smoothly without sharp abutments such as would prevent the articles undergoing treatment from passing over the face of the rotating pulsator either radially or tangentially.

Preferably each portion of the raised part of. the pulsator presents an inner plane surface which is fiat radiallyand an integral outer or marginal surface which is also plane but inclined.

We have found empirically that with a pulsator of this construction a'quite distinctive pulsating effect is given to the washing medium in the region above the axis of rotation of the pulsator, and that thereis imparted to the washing medium a combined outward and upward flow resulting in a plurality of eddy streamslthat strike the walls of the wash tub and are then inwardly and downwardly directed. v

Preferably the pulsator is mounted with-small peripheral clearance in a sump at the bottom of the wash tub, so that the circular rim or periphery of the pulsator is about level with the top of the sump. The lower or under face of the pulsator is preferably similar in form to the upper working surface, which has the attribute of evacuating the washing medium from the sump by centrifuging it and maintaining also slight atmospheric pressure around the peripheral clearance of the sump.

Further, in accordance with the invention, the wash Figure 1 of the drawings is an elevation, partly in section, of the machine.

Figures 2 to 7 show the construction of the pulsator, Figure 2 being a plan, Figure 3 a side view, and Figures 4 to 7 sections respectively on the lines IVIV, V -V, VI-VI and VIIVII of Figure 2.

Figures 8 and 9 show the wash tub and the pulsator assembly, Figure 8 being a sectional elevation, and Figure 9 being a plan but also showing the outer casing or sheathing of the machine.

First with reference more particularly to Figure 1, '1 denotes the casing just mentioned, which has a cross member 2 dividing its interior-into an upper compartment housing a wash tub 3, and a lower compartment housing operating mechanism hereinafter described. -The casing 1 is supported on castors 4-whereby it can be easily moved about, and is also furnished with a top 5 which embraces the rim of the wash tub 3.

The bottom of the wash tub 3 has a central sump or dish 6, circular in plan, which seats on the cross member 2, and which affords a bearing 7 for the upper end of a vertical shaft 8 fixed to a pulsator 9 the rim of which is about level with the top of the sump.

10 is an electrical heating element located in the sump 6 below the pulsator 9.

Keyed on the agitator shaft 8 below the sump 6 there is a differential belt pulley, the larger step of whichis connected by a belt 11 witha smaller pulley 12 on the shaft of a driving motor 13. The smaller step of the differential belt pulley is connected, by another belt 14 and another pulley 15, and through speed reduction gearing housed in a gear box 16 and a coupling 17 with a poWer'take-off shaft 18 that extends vertically upwards outside the tub 3.

20. is a switch box having manually controlled switches 21, 22 for the heating element 10 and the driving motor 13.

, A drain tube 23 extends from the sump 6 to a pump 24 having an outlet tube 25. The pump is operated by a handle 26.

The drive to the pulsator shaft 8 includes clutch mechanism which is manually controlled by a knob 27 and a Bo,wden cable' 28 in order that the power take-off shaft 18 may be driven from the motor without the pulsator being driven. V 4

As clearly shown by Figures 2 to 7, the pulsator-is constructed as animperforate circular member with substan't'ially more than half of its upper working surface convexedly raised above the plane of its rim and divided by a transverse ridge, marked X in Figure 2, into two portions 9a, 9b of unequal areas, so that the greater or leading portion 9a considered with respect tothe direction of rotation of the pulsator increases progressively in height up to said ridge X while theles'ser ortrailing portion progressively decreases .in heightjthe remaining'or third portion 9c of the working faceof the pulsator is a flat bottomed depression or hollow below tub is of special cross-sectional form, namely with two opposed walls each enclosing an angle of about 135 with an adjacent wall.

By way of example one constructional form of washthe plane of the agitator rim; and allrthe portions 90, 9b, 9c merge smoothly into one another and into the rim without sharp abutments such as would prevent articles undergoing treatment in the machinefrom passing over the rotating pulsator either radially or tangen tially. Asclearlyshown the two portions 9d,"9b of the raised part ofthe pulsator each presents an inner plane surface which is flat radially and an integral outefo'r -marginalsurface which is also plane but inclined.

"From'Figures 8 and 9 it will be seen that the wash tub 3 has six upstanding walls, including a pair of opposed walls 3a and 3b each of which forms an angle of about with each of the contiguous walls.

' A suitable speed of rotation of the pulsator is 2115- proximately 700to 800revolutions per minute; and of the take-off shaft' l8 about 48 to 50 revolutions per minute.

It has been ascertained experimentally that with a wash tub 3 of the shape shown in Figure 9 in conjunction with the aforesaid construction of the pulsator 9, the articles being washed are kept in progressive movement within the washing medium under conditions ensuring repeated penetration by the latter, without danger of the articles being held up in more or less fiatted or folded condition against the walls of the wash tub. The movement of the Washing medium is such that the articles are kept substantially below its surface, whilst in progressive movement, but are in no way trapped against the base of the Wash tub or the working surface of the pulsator. Articles cannot be trapped in the peripheral clearance between the pulsator 9 and the sump by virtue of the slight atmospheric pressure maintained by the rotating undersurface of the pulsator. Additionally, the rotating undersurface creates a slight vacuum on the draining tube 23 and prevents any accidental loss of water during the washing cycle.

During a washing operation the pulsator 9 by virtue of its cross-section and skin friction rotates the water mass in the wash tub 3 horizontally, and also with increase of speed imparts a centrifugal action to it; the water taking the place of that rotated and centrifuged imparts an additional vertical rotation within the water mass. The angular walls of the wash tub are calculated to break up the horizontal and vertical rotations referred to and resolve them into cyclic surges which gives a vigorous movement to the articles being washed, and also alters their disposition within the mass so that a different side, portion or facet is continuously presented to the working face of the pulsator. During the period that the articles are drawn into the Washing medium and presented to the pulsator and then repulsed by it, they are also subject to vertical pulsations of relatively high frequency caused by the specially shaped depression 90 in the pulsator face. These pulsations have the effect of considerably speeding the removal of the dirt from the articles being washed, the said dirt already having been loosened by the cyclic surges and rotation already mentioned. In effect the invention has the property of reducing washing time with increased efiiciency as the articles are in constant movement in the mass of water.

In the case of clothing in particular, the free movement Within the mass has the tendency to reduce wear on the fibres and to prevent packing and congestion of the fibre, especially woollens. V

The power take-off shaft 18 supplies the motive force for a wringer, rotary ironer, drier or the like, thus making the machine capable of completing either the whole washing operation or of performing other functions in the home with the aid of a detachable table top (not shown) but capable of covering the wash tub 3 while leaving access to the shaft 18.

Modifications may be made within the scope of the invention. For instance, the sump 6 may be set off centre in the base of the tub 3 in order to enable a different load characteristic to be obtained. Also the bottom of the wash tub may be raised or depressed if desired.

I claim: r

l. A washing machine comprising a wash tub; a shaft rotatably mounted in the bottom of the'wash tub; a pulsathe remaining portion of said working face being a flat bottomed depression below the plane of the rim, and all said portions merging smoothly without sharp abutments.

2. A washing machine comprising a wash tub; a shaft rotatably mounted in the bottom of the Wash tub; a pulsator within the wash tub carried by the shaft; and means including an electric motor outside the wash tub for driving the shaft; said pulsator formed as a circular member with more than half of its upper Working surface raised above the plane of its rim and divided by a transverse ridge into two portions whereof the leading portion considered with respect to the direction of rotation of the pulsator increases progressively in height up to said ridge and the trailing portion progressively decreases in height, the remaining portion of said working face being a flat bottomed depression below the plane of the rim, all said portions merging smoothly without sharp abutments, and said leading and trailing portions presenting radially flat surfaces and integral marginal plane surfaces inclined thereto. V

3. A washing machine comprising a wash tub of a cross sectional form presenting two opposed walls each enclosing an angle greater than 90 with an adjacent wall, a vertical shaft rotatably mounted in the bottom of the wash tub; a pulsator within the wash tub carried by the shaft; and means including an electric motor outside the wash tub for driving the shaft, said pulsator formed as a circular member with more than half of its upper working surface raised above the plane of its rim and divided by a transverse ridge into two portions whereof the leading portion considered with respect to the direction of rotation of the pulsator increases progressively in height up to said ridge and the trailing portion progressively decreases in height, the remaining portion of said working face being a fiat bottomed depression below the plane of the rim, and all said portions merging smoothly without sharp abutments.

4. A washing machine comprising a wash tub of a cross sectional form presenting two opposed walls each enclosing an angle greater than 90 with an adjacent wall, a substantially vertical shaft rotatably mounted in the bottom of the wash tub; a pulsator within the wash tub carried by the shaft; and means'including an electric motor outside the wash tub for driving the shaft, said pulsator formed as a circular member with more than half of its upper working surface raised above the plane of its rim and divided by a transverse ridge into two portions whereof the leading portion considered with respect to the direction of rotation of the pulsator increases progressively in height up to said ridge and the trailing portion progressively decreases in height, the remaining portion of said working face being a flat bottomed depression below the plane of the rim, all said portions merging smoothly without sharp abutments, and said leading and trailing portions presenting radially flat surfaces and integral marginal plane surfaces inclined thereto. 7

5L A washing machine comprising a wash tub with six upstanding walls including two opposed walls each enclosingangles of approximately 135 with the remaining walls disposed at 90 to one another, a shaft rotatably mounted in the bottom of the wash tub; a pulsator within the wash tub carried by the shaft; and means tor within the wash tub carried by the shaft; and means including an electric motor outside the wash tub for driv-fr ing the shaft; said pulsator formed. as a circular member member with more than half of its upper working sur-' face raised above the plane of its rim and divided by a transverse ridge into two portions whereof the leading v portion considered with respect to the direction of rotation of the pulsator increases progressively in height up to said ridge and the trailing portion progressively decreases in height, the remaining portion of said working face'being a fiat bottomed depression below the plane of the rim, and all said portions merging smoothly with out sharp abutments.

6. A washing machine comprising a wash tub with six upstanding walls including two opposed walls each enclosing angles of approximately 135 with the remaining walls disposed at 90 to one another, a shaft rotatably mounted in the bottom of the wash tub; a pulsator within the wash tub carried by the shaft; and means including an electric motor outside the wash tub for driving the shaft; said pulsator formed as a circular member with more than half of its upper working surface raised above the plane of its rim and divided by a transverse ridge into two portions whereof the leading portion considered with respect to the direction of rotation of the pulsator increases progressively in height up to said ridge and the trailing portion progressively decreases in height, the remaining portion of said work- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,052,392 Frantz -n Aug. 25, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS 511,137 Belgium May 31, 1952 855,092 Germany Nov. 10, 1952 

